Amid reports suggesting James Franklin is a "clear frontrunner" for the Penn State head coaching job, Vanderbilt athletic director David Williams told CBSSports.com this afternoon that the school is ready to compete to retain Franklin for 2014 and beyond.

"I expect James to be our football coach. I'm planning on it," Williams told CBS Sports. "We're looking at facilities. We're working on some stuff. I have all thoughts that he's going to be our football coach. I'll do everything I can to make sure that he is."

Williams told CBSSports.com that the Penn State offer didn't come up during two conversations he had with Franklin on Monday. Franklin was due to interview for the Penn State job over the weekend, and he's since emerged as a frontrunner, according to CBSSports.com's Bruce Feldman.

While Franklin has been a fixture atop Penn State's wish list for a head coach, the search committee still has not extended any formal offers, PennLive's Bob Flounders reported today. Al Golden and Mike Munchak are two other candidates to reportedly interview with Penn State in the last week.

Franklin is viewed as a rising star in the coaching ranks, having lifted Vanderbilt to respectability in the SEC with a 24-15 record in his three seasons. The Commodores are 16-4 in their last 20 games, spanning the 2012 and '13 seasons.

Franklin is a Pennsylvania native who was a standout quarterback at East Stroudsburg University. He's served as offensive coordinator at Maryland and Kansas State and in a variety of roles at Kutztown, East Stroudsburg, James Madison, Maryland, Idaho State and Washington State throughout his coaching career. He also coached the Green Bay Packers wide receivers in 2005.

While some in the industry anticipate Franklin would accept an offer from Penn State, Vanderbilt is prepared to dig in its heels, including reworking Franklin's current contract.